The Walking Dead: Virginia's Story
by xxz0eyxx
Summary: Virginia thought her life was just starting to plan out, what with a hunky and handsome Marine boyfriend and a stable job. But when the apocalypse hits and she doesn't know the first thing about survival, Virginia finds herself having to step up to the mark and prove herself worthy of being alive in this cruel, new world. Eventual DarylxOC, but not for a while. Rated 'T' for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.**

**Claimer: I own the characters and subplots that you do not recognize from the main story line.**

Virginia thought her life was just starting to plan out, what with a hunky and handsome Marine boyfriend and a stable job. But when the apocalypse hits and she doesn't know the first thing about survival, Virginia finds herself having to step up to the mark and prove herself worthy of being alive in this cruel, new world. Eventual DarylxOC, but not for a while.

**Chapter 1**

"Virginia, Eric!" Glen called once he got down to the creek, a blush making its way onto the Korean's features as he thought about what the engaged couple could be doing. They hadn't come up for dinner, which had been ready for over ten minutes now.

He stood at the bottom of the path leading up towards the campsite, not wanting to walk any further in case he caught the couple in a compromising position or something.

"One second Glenn!" A feminine voice called from behind a few of the rocks, followed shortly by a quiet giggle.

A dark haired male stepped out from behind one of the rocks, his hair sopping wet, his jeans on but undone at the top and he was shirtless. "Sorry!" Eric called, covering up his toned torso as he pulled on a black t-shirt.

A young woman then stepped out, fully clothed except for her shoes which she carried under her arm. Her long honey blonde hair was wet, and she wrung it out as she made her way towards Glenn, a light blush crossing her features as her fiancé whistled from behind her.

"Sorry Glenn," Her blush darkened as she stopped just in front of the Korean, "We, err…went swimming. We're not keeping you from eating, are we?"

Glenn shook his head, and as Eric caught up to them they began to walk back up the hill towards the camp, "I finished ages ago." He replied, "How was your, err…swim?"

"Best swim we've had since the world turned to shit." Eric chuckled, "I'm starving now."

They stepped back into the camp just as Lori started washing up a few of the plates. Andrea and Amy had just reached Carol, who dished them both a portion onto their plates before they settled by the campfire.

Shane was on watch with Dale on top of the RV, where Eric usually sat during dinner. After collecting his plate of food, and thanking the chef, he kissed Virginia on her cheek before making his way towards the RV and climbing one-handed onto the top with the two men.

Virginia took her plate over towards the other two blondes, and blushed as Andrea grinned at her knowingly. "Someone's happy." The oldest blonde commented before shoving a piece of cooked squirrel into her mouth. "I wonder why that could be."

Virginia elbowed Andrea, before gently kicking the younger blonde as she laughed heartily.

"Ginny?" The long haired blonde looked up at Lori, a piece of squirrel had just been placed in her mouth when the brunette spoke to her. "I was just wondering if you would be able to give Carl a haircut later?"

She rushed to swallow her bite, nodding as she did so, "Of course." She replied, smiling. "Just let me know whenever."

"Thank you." Lori smiled before moving off once more, and Virginia could hear Carl whine. Which meant that his mother had just told him of his impending haircut later that evening.

"He might be an ass," Andrea was saying. "But I'm thinking that older Dixon is the only way I'm going to get laid around here."

"Eww," Amy wrinkled her nose and Virginia grimaced. "Seriously Drea? That guy's like eighty! At least have some taste and go for his brother."

Virginia rolled her eyes, only for the older blonde to comment on it. "Roll your eyes all your want, Ginny. You've got some army hunk keeping your tent warm at night! In fact, I bet that _swim _you took was more of a Jacuzzi!"

Amy put her bottle down, wrinkling her nose again, "And now the water's contaminated too."

It was Andrea's turn to roll her eyes, "Oh, come on Amy. I know you shagged Damien in our pool the day before the family came over for a BBQ-"

"-But we don't drink that water!"

"We still swim in it!"

Virginia loved the two sisters. Ever since she had first met them, she hadn't expected there to be such a close friendship to form between them. Amy was very squeamish and selfish, and Andrea was quite adamant and uptight. But both girls were surprisingly accepting towards the third blonde, and very kind and cheerful.

She had been grocery shopping with Eric when the apocalypse had broken out. They had been queuing to pay, and the television above their heads was showing them a mad rush within the streets. People were eating people! Virginia thought it had just been a film, but when there was a sudden scream coming from the main entrance, she began to push that query aside.

Being a Marine, Eric had ran over to see who had cried out and if they needed help.

He stopped in his tracks however, when he came across something that sickened him to his very core. A nearby Officer had nearly vomited at the sight of cannibalism, and drew his gun. "Stop!" He demanded.

The cannibal had looked up, and the Officer couldn't help but hesitate. This thing was not a person! It came towards him, groaning and moaning, its hands reaching for his flesh. The shot to its stomach did nothing to stop it, and the second shot to its chest hardly slowed it down.

Eric grasped hold of a shopping divider from one of the checkouts and shoved it through the cannibal's eye. As the thing dropped to the ground with no signs of getting up, the unthinkable happened. The woman who had been attacked grabbed hold of a man's ankle, and sunk her teeth into his leg – causing him to cry out in pain.

Virginia heard groaning coming from behind her, turning just in time to see one of the things from the television sink its teeth into the neck of the customer standing behind her. The blonde screamed and backed away, running towards Eric as quickly as she could.

"Grab anything you can," The Officer ordered a few of the people nearby. "Cans, tins, anything that will last!"

Virginia was shaking as she held onto Eric's arm, her eyes darting around them watching as the supermarket turned into an uproar. People were eating people, people were running and screaming and attacking one another and pushing each other out of the way as they tried everything they could to stay alive and get out of the store.

"Gin!" Eric shook her by her shoulders to gain her attention. "We need to get out of here – take my hand!"

"Your gun is in the car." She reminded him, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it tightly.

"Get out of here!" The Officer yelled, ushering a few people out of the store. They had nonperishable items in baskets: tins of soup, canned fruit, baked beans, and anything else that would last them. "Get into your vehicles and make for the highway towards Atlanta!"

Eric and Virginia did just that. The blonde leaping into the passenger side of the car and slamming the door seconds before a blood covered groaner slammed its hands onto the window. The Marine took another thing down with the shopping divider as he grabbed his trusted rifle from the boot of the car, along with a small handgun.

He handed the pistol over to the blonde as soon as he got into the driver's side and closed the door, "Take it!" He ordered when she rejected the weapon with a shriek. "Take it!"

"I'm a fucking hairdresser Eric, I don't know what I'm doing with it!" Tears streamed down her face, her breathing turning erratic.

He sighed before slipping the pistol into the waistband of his jeans and laying the rifle horizontally across his lap as he started the engine and set off towards the highway. Once the car was moving, he wound down the window beside his fiance – knowing that she was claustrophobic.

"Hey," He gathered her attention, and took her shaking hand in his strong one. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"I know you're only trying to protect me." She replied, feeling much calmer now that there was a breeze on her face. She wiped away the last of her tears before lightly squeezing his hand which was still wrapped comfortingly around her own.

They were quickly caught in a major traffic jam as soon as they got onto the highway. It was a complete standstill, and Virginia had to step outside of the car to put herself at ease from her claustrophobia. She had taken a deep breath of air, almost choking on smoke.

There was a man standing beside a red car, next to the blonde, smoking a cigarette. He was watching her, smirking as she almost choked on his exhale. He suddenly turned on his heel as a woman began digging through a pack in the back of the car and he grabbed her roughly by her elbow, "No." He growled towards her.

Virginia looked away from the couple, and towards the woman who was also watching the interaction between the two. The brunette looked as shocked as Virginia, and placed a hand on the shoulder of a young boy who had been speaking with a girl who looked to be the same age as him. But they were obviously unrelated, so the second child must have belonged to the two having the domestic.

"The boy's hungry, Ed." The woman reassured her husband, her eyes unable to look up at him. "It's just a cereal bar."

Virginia eyed the basket of unpaid shopping by her feet, and quickly pulled out a _Coco-Pops Cereal and Milk Bar_ before making her way over towards the woman with dark brown hair. "Here." She held the bar towards the mother, who smiled gratefully as she took it and handed it to her son.

"Now what do you say, Carl?" The woman scolded.

"Thank you." The boy stated, smiling up at the blonde.

"That's alright." She smiled in response as the woman with short hair stepped up to them, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," She began. "We didn't have any after all."

"Not to worry." The dark haired mother reassured her, "Thank you anyway, it was very kind of you to offer."

"I'm Carol, by the way." The woman with short hair introduced herself, placing her hand on the shoulder of the young girl who had been talking to the boy. "This is my daughter, Sophia, and that's Ed, my husband."

"Lori." The brunette smiled, "This is my son, Carl."

"Virginia," Virginia replied, turning her head slightly towards the black Peugeot. "And that's Eric, my fiance."

"He's talking to Shane." Lori stated, gesturing towards the Police Officer by the Marine's side.

Before anyone could continue the conversation, they were a little confused when the other people who were stuck in the highway traffic began making their way into the trees. The three women and the two children looked to where everyone appeared to be pointing, and gasped upon spotting bombs being dropped into the city.

Fire engulfed the buildings, and thick smoke filled the sky. There was no way that Atlanta survived.

Virginia couldn't believe that had only been one week ago. A group of people, led by Shane, had made their way up towards a clearing and set up a camp. They had quickly delegated duties to one another; Carol and Lori would be the budding chefs of the group; Shane, Eric and Dale would take watch; the girls Virginia, Amy, Jacqui and Andrea would wash the dishes and do the laundry, whilst Ed went down to the creek with them to keep an eye on things. Everyone would take in in turns to go on runs – Glen, a kind Korean who had been a delivery boy – was quick on his feet and was one of the main people to go, sometimes the only person to go. There were two rednecks in the group as well. The Dixon brothers: Merle and Daryl. Their tents were set up a few feet away from everyone else, and the two men were the Hunters for the group.

The camp ran smoothly, except for the odd argument usually pointed towards Shane which came from Merle. The eldest Dixon brother was difficult to handle. The man was racist, sexist, sleazy and a drug addict. His brother on the other hand, was a loner with a bad temper and the only person who could keep his brother in order.

Eric tolerated the Dixon brothers much better than Shane, so the communicating between the Dixon's and the Officer usually passed by the Marine to save arguments, to which Eric didn't mind as long as the peace was kept within the group. Surprisingly, the Dixon's actually held some kind of respect for the Marine.

Virginia couldn't help but worry when her fiance would disappear from the RV to communicate with the rednecks. The rough exterior of the men had her on edge, which accompanied with the sleazy, lustful looks sent from the eldest Dixon brother towards herself, Andrea, and sometimes Lori, made the twenty-four year old wary, and slightly frightened.

She knew she wasn't alone with this. Lori was unnerved by his looks as well, usually seeking out protection from Shane, whereas Virginia stuck by Eric's side. Andrea on the other hand, brushed him off and ignored him, which made Merle quickly lose his interest in her.

Virginia knew that the man liked to get a reaction, hence why he was such a loud and boisterous character. That and the fact he was on drugs pretty much all the time. She remembered the third day everyone had been at the camp, the blonde had been making her way down to the ravine with Carol and Amy when she had her first run in with the Dixon brothers.

"If you ever get bored with your Marine, honey, you can always make your bed in my tent."

She should have just ignored him, but she didn't. "And why would I want to do that?"

"I may be older, sweet cheeks," He chuckled, "But that just means I've got a lot of experience to share."

She put her head down and continued to walk away, "I'd rather eat my own foot."

"There'll be a day when your Marine won't be here anymore, honey." He stepped in front of her, blocking her path down to the creek and she looked towards Carol for help. "You'll be wanting me then, to help you through those sleepless nights." He looked her up and down, smirking as he shook off his brother as he tried to pull him away from the blonde. "You might want to get familiar with old Merle first, get used to my-"

"Quit it, Merle!" Daryl snapped, yanking his brother by the elbow.

"-Preferences. You got the ass of one of my bitches, a better face than my best." He grinned as Daryl shoved him up the slope, "Can't wait till I get my hands on you."

She shivered at how grotesque the man was. Carol wrapped her arm around the blonde as they continued on down the hill, away from the prying eyes of the eldest Dixon as he turned his attention onto Lori as soon as he stepped into the camp.

Virginia shook that memory away, just the thought of that man's skin on her own left a bad taste in the blonde's mouth. She wanted to feel Eric's arms around her at that moment, as pathetic as that thought sounded.

As the three blonde's finished their meals, Lori came over to collect their plates to wash. "Do you think Jim's alright?" Andrea asked, nodding her head in the direction of the skinny man sitting just outside of his tent.

"He's contemplating something." Virginia nodded, turning around and scowling at the snicker that had come from behind her.

"That was a big word don't you think, Gin?" Eric teased, handing his plate over to Lori and thanking her as he took a seat beside his fiance.

Virginia scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Shut up, Eric!" She glared at him, but that look quickly turned into a smile when she knew he was only joking with her. "Everything okay?" She then asked.

He nodded his head, "Everything's fine. Shane was just telling Dale and I that we're running out of food. Some of the cans we've had for the past few weeks have run out, and we need to do a run to stock up."

"Are you going to go?" She asked immediately.

He shook his head, "We haven't even decided when to go, let alone whose going. I suppose Glenn will be, and T-Dog offered to go the last time but didn't. We'll see when the time comes."

Virginia nodded in acceptance and smiled up at him reassuringly, "Perhaps you can teach me how to use that gun if you stay?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Last time you looked at my handgun you refused to even touch it. What changed your mind?"

She shrugged, "I can't exactly use scissors to protect myself, can I?"

"You have me to protect you."

"You promise?"

"Of course I promise." He kissed the back of her hand, causing the blonde to blush at the mocking smooching noises Amy was making from across the campfire. "You're just trying to get me to stay, aren't you?"

"If you want to go, you go." She stated, "But I'd have to go with you, because how else are you going to keep your promise to me if we're in different places?"

Eric looked over towards Andrea, "Are you hearing this?" He questioned, chuckling.

The older blonde nodded, "Every word." She replied, "Girl wants to learn to defend herself. And if you're going to be off gallivanting with everyone on a run, then you need to teach her."

He held up both hands in defense, "What is this? Blonde's Unite or something?"

Amy chuckled, "Something like that."

Eric turned to his fiance, "Alright, but you have to promise me you won't practice without me."

Virginia nodded, smiling "I promise."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :) Please give me some ideas of a title for the fic, but obviously it will be easier to name after the first few chapters are posted, which I will hopefully be able to update soon. If any of you are readers of my other stories (namely Assassin's Creed) you will understand that posting regular updates will be very difficult for me at the moment.**

**Thank you,**

**xxz0eyxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Virginia was gently shaken awake that next morning. Slowly, she opened her tired eyes and yawned as Eric's handsome face came into view. He chuckled before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm leaving the tent." He stated, "Didn't want you to panic when you woke up."

She nodded her head, "Thank you. Are you going on watch?"

He nodded, "Just popping down to the creek first…do you want to come?"

She grinned and sat up, "Do you want me to?"

He chuckled, before meeting her hazel eyes with his ocean blue and smirking, "Hurry, before anyone catches us down there."

It was childish - she knew - as they ran down there hand in hand, but they didn't get very far. The Dixon brothers appeared in front of them, and the two of them slowed to a walk. "Everything alright?" Eric asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.

Merle grinned, "As good as it's going to get. Couple of walkers spotted and taken out not too far away from the creek," He looked Virginia up and down, "Didn't think you'd want to be caught unaware when you're _busy_."

"Merle…" Daryl rolled his eyes.

The older Dixon chuckled, "Knuckle-head decided on anymore damn _laws_?"

The reference the Dixon used in regards to Shane unfazed Eric, and the Marine replied without blinking an eyelid. "Not that I know of, he said we needed to do a big supply run at some point. But it's not been decided as to when. We shall need volunteers; I know that sounds a lot easier said than done."

"People need to be told to get off their arses." Merle scoffed, "That's the only way it's going to be done."

Virginia shifted a little uncomfortably, resulting in Merle's attention being dragged back towards her, "Keeping you, are we?" He grinned, "The girl has needs, Marine."

As the Dixon brothers passed them swinging squirrels over their shoulders, Virginia blushed before taking her hand out of Eric's. "Sorry," She began. "Kind of lost the mood a little now."

He chuckled, "He's not that bad, Gin. A little leery but-"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, sticking her hands on her hips indignantly. "Have I not told you what he says when you're not around?"

Eric sighed before taking a step closer towards her, placing his hands gently on her upper arms and kissing her forehead softly. "I'll be up in a bit, can you let Dale know I won't be long?"

She nodded and smiled, standing on her tiptoes so that she could place a quick, soft kiss upon his lips. "Don't be too long."

He chuckled before sliding his hands down to her waist and then letting her go, "I'll be back to protect you, don't worry."

Virginia quickly made her way back up the hill, joining Lori beside the campfire as the older woman pulled on a cardigan and turned away from the leering eyes of Merle Dixon. "Good morning." The blonde greeted cheerfully as she took a seat beside the brunette.

"Morning, Ginny." Lori replied, yawning as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Late night?" The blonde asked, smiling slightly as the brunette shook the sleep away.

Lori looked a little flustered, "What makes you ask that?"

Ginny shrugged, "Just asking; you yawned."

Lori smiled softly and nodded, "Didn't get much sleep last night. I was worrying about the food supply we have. Shane thinks people will need to go on a run by tomorrow, we only have enough food for three days, unless we cut everyone's rations down by half; then we could last another week at the most."

Virginia grimaced and looked around the camp, "There's too many mouths to feed. I don't think cutting back is an option really, I know the kids aren't satisfied as it is. I gave some of my last few cereal bars out yesterday, did Sophia give Carl half of hers?"

Lori nodded, "Yes, thank you." She replied. "I know it's not fair on the kids, I've been giving Carl a little more than I give myself – he's a growing boy after all. And Morales and his wife share their own portions with their children too…Ed isn't as selfless as Carol when it comes to Sophia."

Virginia nodded, "Give some of my portion to her tonight. She looks like she's lost a lot of weight in the past few days, I know she was skinny as it was anyways but…" She trailed off and sighed.

Lori nodded, "I'm sure Carol would appreciate it, that's very kind of you."

"No problem." Virginia smiled and ran a hand through her hair, "Now moving onto more important matters…" She began with a light-hearted tone. "I could really do with some conditioner."

The older woman chuckled lightly, "I couldn't agree with you more. I haven't felt so disgusting since childbirth."

"Perhaps we could…" she shrugged, "Ask them if they could look for some, seeing as we're being all domestic around here, why not be domestic goddesses with luscious locks envious to other survivors?"

Lori smiled again, "Everyone would come flocking to our group looking for the closest thing to spa treatment."

The two women laughed together for a moment, before settling into a companionable silence. "It's quite nice out here, you know." Lori began. "I feel like we're just camping. How, maybe, in a couple of days we'll all go home to our families. My husband would have loved it out here," She looked over her shoulder towards her son's tent. "He'd be waking Carl up right now, I'd imagine."

Virginia noticed the tense in which the older woman had used in reference to her husband and her voice quietened a little for privacy, "Was it Geeks?" She asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lori shook her head, "It wasn't the Geeks, no." She cleared her throat, "He was a cop. Shane's partner, in fact. He was shot about a month ago whilst on duty, fell into a coma. He just…didn't wake up."

Virginia's heart clenched for the brunette, "I'm really sorry." She said softly, "It's nice that Shane's there for you and Carl, I'm sure your husband would really appreciate what he's doing for you both."

Lori smiled sadly, "Thank you."

"You're back earlier than expected, blondie." Merle's voice broke through the silence surrounding the two women, and they both looked up warily. "Could your Marine not get it up? If that's the case sweetcheeks, I'm always ready for a morning quickie. But my brother here, for him, morning wood ain't no problem-"

"-Shut up, Merle!" Daryl snapped, gruesomely ripping off the skin from a dead squirrel. "Getting tired of your damn perversion. Just skin the fucking squirrels!"

"Well, Darylena, ain't someone woke up on the wrong fucking side of the damn bed!" Merle teased, "Look's like you need a decent bird to lay, I'm sure Vir-gin-gin here will be happy to lend you a hand…or her mouth-"

"-Jesus, Merle!" Daryl threw a squirrel in his brothers direction, only for the older Dixon to catch it by it's tail and chuckle tauntingly.

"Didn't you know hairdresser give the best blow jobs?" Merle tutted, shaking his head. "What about the twiggy brunette instead?"

"Back off Dixon!" Shane hollered, coming over to stand in front of the two girls. "Ain't nobody want to hear you first thing in the morning."

"Well, if it ain't Officer Nutjob, come to-"

"-That's enough!" Eric stepped in between the two males. "Let's not do this now, alright? Shane, can you cover me at the RV for a sec? Merle, I need you to walk the perimeter with me."

Virginia was so turned on at that moment. Her Marine always swooped in before things got heated between the two men, and she was so thankful that he had done so before anything had physically happened and before the children were there to witness the battle of testosterone.

Lori sighed in relief once Shane climbed onto the top of the RV, and Merle headed into the woods with the Marine, "At least someone knows how to keep the peace." She stated, "That's a good man you've got there, Ginny. How long have you two been together?"

"Not long really." Ginny smiled softly, watching Eric's form until he disappeared into the trees with the redneck, slightly worried for his safety even though she _knew_ he would come back to her in one piece. "We met through his sister, she would always come in to the salon to have her hair done. We became good friends, went out a few times and she introduced us. We hit it off pretty much right away, got engaged after seven months too. We spent another month together before he was deployed for six…he got back three weeks before the world pretty much ended. In fact, we'd just moved in together and were getting our first weeks' worth of groceries when we met everyone on the highway."

"You seem like you've known each other a lot longer that you say."

"Well, technically we've known each other for just over a year, but only seen each other for half because of his deployment."

"You've only been engaged for a month?"

Ginny nodded, "It was really sweet, he took my grandfather out for dinner and asked him if he could marry me." She smiled fondly to herself.

"I remember Rick asking my father," Lori began. "He said 'no', but Rick was a very persuasive man, and my mother loved him herself! Mum told dad to change his mind…that woman was as stubborn as a mule."

Ginny smiled at the woman's story, "It appears as though your mother and my grandfather would have gotten along really well."

Lori smiled and nodded, "Of course, Eric would have gotten along with Rick too."

"I'm sure they would have done."

"Good morning." Both women looked up at the sound of Carol's voice, and prepared a big warm smile for the woman, but both gasped at the sight before them. Carol's eye had swollen, and was almost black and blue!

"Oh my God!" Virginia exclaimed as Lori rushed to their feet.

"Carol, what happened?" The brunette demanded.

The short haired woman waved a hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it." She reassured them, "I tripped over one of Ed's shoes, he insists on leaving them right by the entrance to our tent in case he needs to get up in the night."

Virginia rolled her eyes, "If that had been Eric, I would have grabbed that shoe and thrown it at him."

"Carl's done it plenty of times." Lori stated, her eyes not leaving Carol's bruising. "Just be careful next time, alright?"

Carol nodded, "Any idea on what we're cooking for breakfast?"

Virginia pointed her thumb over her shoulder, "There are a couple of squirrels that the…Dixon's have skinned." She replied, "And I think there's a can of baked beans left. I think the canned sweetcorn and tinned mushrooms can be saved for dinner."

The women nodded in agreement, and Virginia made her way towards the RV to go and collect the tins for the two women.

She gently knocked on the door to the RV. Andrea, she knew would be awake, but Amy would probably still be asleep. It was very kind of Dale to let the sisters take refuge in his vehicle, the blondes had told her that the old man had saved them from a couple of Geeks and offered them a ride into Atlanta, before they knew the city had been bombed.

"Just collecting the baked beans." She smiled at the older blonde once the door had been opened.

"Someone's chirpy." Andrea commented with a smile, grabbing the can from the shelf and climbing out of the RV. "Amy and I were thinking if you would, perhaps, trim our hair today?"

Virginia gasped, "I was supposed to do Carl's yesterday!" She replied, "I will once I've done his, and Amy asked me to French plait hers the other day as well, but I didn't get round to it."

Andrea nodded, "She understood…you had a different priority on your mind…and a fine priority it was down at the Creek _swimming_!"

Virginia blushed, and gently elbowed the older blonde as they stepped over the logs beside the fire, handing over the can of beans to Carol and Lori. "Whenever Carl's ready," Virginia stated, causing his mother to look up in question. "I'll cut his hair today."

The brunette smiled, "Thank you, I forgot I'd asked!"

"So did I." Virginia admitted shyly, looking up once Eric and Merle appeared from the edge of the woods.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and made her way towards Eric. "Are you hurt?"

"That's nice, sweetcheeks." Merle commented, sticking his hand on his hips and shooting her a wink. "Were ya worried for me?"

She ignored him, and slipped her hand into Eric's, "Is everything ok?"

"We didn't see any Geeks." He replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll take you down to the creek after dinner and we'll-"

"-Keep me in on the details!" Merle interrupted, thumping the Marine on his back before making his way towards his brother.

Eric rolled his eyes, but smirked in amusement, "And I'll teach you how to defend yourself."

Virginia winced, "I'm kind of hairdressing this afternoon." She replied, but a mischievous glint crossed her face, and she placed a finger on his chest and trailed it in a seductive circle as she looked up at him through her long eyelashes, "But maybe," She sighed dramatically and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'll be stressed after doing Amy's hair that I'll need to _unwind _after dinner with a big strong man."

"I'm sure that big strong man would love to help you out with that." Eric whispered back, "But perhaps that big strong man would like to pick up from this morning, right now?"

"I'm not stressed yet." She kissed his cheek, "But later," She promised him. "Later I will need to unwind, and I'm sure that big strong man will want to as well after sitting on that RV in that scorching hot sun."

"I'm sure he will." Eric grinned, stopping her finger from trailing across his chest anymore and pulling it up to his mouth to kiss it softly. "But tomorrow, I'm teaching you some self-defence."

She nodded, and mocked a salute, "Yes, sir!"

**A/N: Sorry that I hadn't updated for a long time. My cat got hit by a car and my horses aren't very well :( One has mud fever, one has laminitis and a popped melanoma, one lost a shoe so can't ride until it's been fixed, another is stable bound for a few weeks :( It's so very sad at the moment. So very, very sad. So all my time is spent up at the field tending and feeding (or exercising some of the overweight horses, who - because they are ex-racehorses - get _really _excited when they're tacked up for a run. God, it's terrifying sometimes.)**

**Anyways, please let me know what you think of the chapter, the next one I _hope _will be up by next week - depending on the animals. xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was decided that the run was needed that next day after all. Virginia's self-defence lesson was going to have to wait, because Eric was needed to go on watch with Dale whilst Shane took up the perimeter patrol. Merle had decided to go on the run with Andrea, Glen, Morales, T-Dog and Jacqui, so the younger Dixon had gone hunting on his own that morning - something about finding a deer trail.

The camp was very subdued, and it wasn't because of the missing loud mouthed redneck. Ed had taken a few of the women down to the creek to keep watch whilst they did the laundry, and the man was currently sulking in his tent because of a dispute with the officer in the group.

After giving his wife, Carol, a swift backhand and whipping Andrea in the face with a wet shirt, Shane had interfered and pretty much pulverised Ed's face into purple pulp.

Virginia watched as the short haired woman entered her tent with a plate of food and a bottle of water. The blonde couldn't understand why the woman was still with her husband, let alone being at his beckoned call anytime he wanted something. Why hadn't she said anything about the abuse to anyone? Why had she pretended that she had fallen, or just been plain clumsy?

Virginia felt sorry for the older woman, and apologised to Amy when she pulled on her hair a little too hard.

"Jeeze Ginny, I know I kept nagging at you to do it, but you don't have to be so cruel!"

"Sorry!" She smiled apologetically, "I was thinking about Carol."

"I know!" Amy gasped, "Her husband's such an asshole, I mean, if that had been my Damien…my god, I think I would've killed him."

"I suppose it's easy for us to think like that though." Virginia stated, gently pulling a few more of Amy's golden strands into the French braid. "Whereas if it actually _did _happen…"

Amy paused, "I suppose you're right, Ginny." She sighed, "I just hope Shane's taught him a lesson. Maybe he'll leave her alone now?"

Virginia nodded, "I hope so too. If he's hurt Carol…I wonder if he's laid a hand on Sophia?"

"If he's touched that little girl…" Amy shook her head and sighed sadly. "Then I hope I last longer than he does in this world."

"Amen to that." Virginia agreed, tightening a hairband around the bottom of the plait. "There we are, done."

Amy reached a hand up to her head and ran it along the braid, "Thanks Ginny, you're a babe!"

"I'll see if I can catch Carl now." She smiled upon remembering the young Grimes boy running away from her anytime she got near him. He even went as far as hiding on the other side of the Dixon brothers tent because he knew neither Virginia nor his mother would go anywhere near the two rednecks.

"I'm getting on that RV to catch some sun." Amy stated, "I don't care if I'm not wanted. It's the best spot for a tan. Also, I can keep an eye out for when Andrea gets back."

"She'll be fine, Amy." Virginia reassured her, "You don't need to worry about her, she'll come back."

Amy nodded and ran a hand along her plait again, "I know, you're right." She sighed, "Anyways, I'll talk to you later."

Virginia nodded and smiled before making her way towards the campfire, where Lori and Shane were sitting with Carl. "Ready now, little man?"

Carl sighed when his mother gave him a stern look, "Yeah, I guess." He slipped off the log and sat on the floor, making room for the blonde to take a seat behind him. Carl stubbornly crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat with a sulky expression on his face.

"Hold your head up straight, for me." Virginia asked, but she frowned when the boy did not do as he was told. "I found one last chocolate cereal bar in my pack last night," She began quietly, "If you hold still and sit up straight, I won't tell the others."

He then did as he was told, and Lori smiled thankfully at the blonde hairdresser. "You're really good with kids."

Virginia shrugged, "It's probably because Eric had a nephew. He was a few years younger than Carl, actually. He was completely obsessed with comics and video games."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't he Carl?" Shane teased the young boy. "You were always in your room with your comics."

"At least I was reading." Carl retorted, causing Lori to laugh at him slightly.

"Did you not have any kids of your own?" Lori asked.

Virginia shook her head, "I fell pregnant when I was eighteen." She explained, "My grandfather wasn't very happy about it and told my dad."

"Did you…" She eyed Carl from the corner of her eye. "We're you told to, or decide to?"

She shook her head, "I didn't…" The blonde eyed Carl before turning to whisper, "_Abort it." _She explained, her voice returning to normal, "I lost it."

Lori winced, "I'm really sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," She began, appreciating the fact that the brunette didn't pry any further, "I suppose it was for the best really, I don't think I would have been able to handle a baby at that age."

"It was hard when Carl was younger," Lori nodded. "I have to have a caesarean because of complications during labour, Rick was wonderful. I wasn't allowed to do anything for a couple of weeks until I had recovered. Rick really stepped up."

Virginia smiled at the woman's fond words, "By any chance, did you have a go at cutting his hair yourself?"

Lori chuckled, "Carl tried yesterday."

Virginia grinned at the little boy as she ran her hands through his finished, clean cut hair, "Stick to your comics and cereal bars, Carl. I think hairdressing has beaten you."

He sighed, "I know."

A loud blaring horn broke through the silence, and everyone looked up to see where it was coming from. "What the hell is that?" Shane demanded, leaving the campfire and making his way up towards Dale.

"They're back!" Amy exclaimed, quickly climbing down the ladder to the RV and running towards Glen as he exclaimed in excitement at the crimson sports car he pulled up in. "Andrea!"

"Look at this beauty!" Glen gestured excitedly towards the car.

"Turn it off!" Shane demanded, "You'll attract every Geek for miles!"

"I don't know how." Glen replied, popping the bonnet of the car so that Dale could take a look.

"Where's Andrea?" Amy demanded, "Is she alright? Where's my sister?"

"She's fine." Glen reassured her, turning to face Dale. "Do you know how to-"

"-Glen, where is she?" Amy demanded, cutting the Korean off.

"She's fine! She's in a van with the others and a new guy."

A van then pulled up, and everyone piled out of the back. "Andrea!" Amy rushed towards her sister, throwing her arms around her neck and holding her tightly as she cried with joy.

T-Dog lingered by the driver's side for a second, before joining everyone in their reunion. "Where's Merle?" Virginia heard Eric say from behind the group.

She made her way towards him after catching Andrea's gaze and giving her a big warm smile and a wave. "Do you think he…you know…got bit?"

Eric shook his head, "That man's as hard as nails. There's no way he would've got bit around that many people. Hell, even Jacqui made it back and he didn't." He looked up and frowned upon spotting a man he didn't recognize step out of the van.

"Dad!"

Virginia gasped upon spotting Carl running towards the stranger, quickly followed by Lori. "That must be Rick…" She trailed off, "But Lori said he had died."

"Who's Rick?" Eric asked.

"Lori's husband, he was a cop. He got shot on duty and fell into a coma." She told him what Lori had said to her, "He was Shane's partner in the force."

Eric nodded at her words, but then frowned in confusion, "I thought she was with Shane."

Virginia shook her head in denial, "No way, she wouldn't do that to her husband so soon after his…death." She frowned at the man that was supposed to be dead. "She speaks too fondly of him."

Eric shrugged, but didn't say anything else in response. Virginia smiled satisfactorily at proving her point, if Eric didn't argue back then he knew he had been proven wrong. The blonde made her way towards the two blonde sisters, and smiled widely at the older one who had just returned. "Good to see you back." She greeted.

Andrea smirked, "Did you expect me to stay out there?"

Amy shook her head, "Ginny kept me calm, Drea. She told me not to worry about you, and look at my hair!"

The blonde's laughed to themselves before making their way towards the campfire to grab the few pieces of laundry that had been left out to clean. Carol had started to sort through what rations the group had brought back from their run, and added a can of spinach to the two remaining cans the camp already had, and began to light the fire beneath a pot of hot water to prepare the dinner.

"It's so sweet." Virginia smiled over at the small family reunion between father and son, and noticed the shocked expression on Shane's face. "I'm sure they've got a lot of catching up to do," She informed the two blondes, picking up a few pieces of leftover laundry from that morning and heading down the hill towards the creek with the sisters. "They were partners in the force together. I bet Rick will be thankful that Shane's taken care of his family."

Virginia thought about how happy everyone was that their families had returned, and her thoughts went out to Daryl – despite believing that the camp was going to be a better place without his older asshole of a brother. "What happened to Merle?" She found herself asking.

"Rick cuffed him to a pipe on a roof in the city." Andrea explained, "He was out of control, shooting Walkers from the-"

"-Walkers?" Amy asked.

"The Geeks." Andrea explained, "That's what Rick's been calling them. Anyway, he was shooting and attracting unwanted attention, and calling T-Dog everything under the sun – he even started punching him! – and then that cop showed up and put him in his place. Rick put us in danger in the first place – but managed to get us out of there alive – except for Merle. T-Dog dropped the key to the cuffs down the drain."

"Good riddance." Amy scoffed, Virginia nodded in agreement although she did feel some sympathy towards Daryl for losing his brother.

They finished the wash quickly, and upon returning to the camp Virginia looked around for Eric. She frowned when she was unable to spot him, and turned to Shane with a questioning look, "Shane?" She asked, handing her pile of washed clothes to the younger blonde to hang up to dry by the campfire. "Where's Eric?"

"He went into Atlanta with Rick, T-Dog, Glen and Daryl. Gone to look for Merle-"

"-He's what?" She gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. "Is he insane? He just went without saying anything to me!"

"They'll be fine, why they went in the first place though I have no idea."

"It's beyond me, that's for sure! We would have done so much better without Merle Dixon around."

Shane placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "They'll come back, don't worry. I'll take care of everything for now, you're in safe hands, Ginny."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Thanks, Shane. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks, Ginny." He smiled back at her before turning to climb onto the RV.

The blonde knew she wouldn't be much help even if Shane did ask for anything, but she felt that it was polite to ask. He was there to protect everyone pretty much on his own now that Eric had gone into the city and both Dixon's weren't present either.

Virginia made her way towards the campfire, and settled down beside Amy. She could smell the dinner being prepared, and although it didn't look very appetizing it did smell rather nice compared to the last few dishes they had had. She wouldn't push it to being delicious though, but she knew Carol and Lori tried their best.

The evening stretched on, and when there was still no sign of Eric or anyone else after the food had been eaten and the plates had been washed at put back inside the RV. Worry began to settle in.

"They should have been back by now." Virginia stated.

"I'm sure they're fine." Lori reassured her.

Virginia sighed and ran a hand through her long blonde hair, "They went to look on a rooftop for one man. Surely, if Merle was dead or alive, they would have been back way before dinner. Something's happened, I know it." She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she knew Lori must have been worrying about Rick – she had only just got him back after all!

"I'm going for a pee. Jeeze, you try to be subtle around here!" Amy rolled her eyes as she pulled open the door to the RV, and climbed inside.

"Is Jim still up there?" Morales asked.

Virginia frowned, the name rang a bell, but she didn't know who the man was. Was someone missing? She looked up towards the RV, thinking that the older man was on watch, but only Dale was present.

Suddenly, a scream broke through the air and Virginia turned around – her face a picture of horror – to see a Geek – or Walker – bite down on Amy's forearm as soon as her feet touched the ground outside of the RV.

Andrea shrieked and rushed forwards, Shane grabbed the rifle by his side and fired a shot clean through the skull of the young blonde's attacker. Andrea dropped by her sister's side and burst into tears as she cradled Amy's body in her shaking arms.

"Virginia!"

Morales pushed the blonde to the side, and the blonde managed to catch her footing and turn around just in time to see the man push a steak knife through a Walkers skull.

Virginia felt like she was about to lose her dinner.

At some point, someone handed the blonde a crowbar. She was too shocked, too horrified by what was going on around her to think or remember that she had a weapon in her hands. Her feet were rooted to the spot, and she was vaguely aware of someone slipping an arm around her waist and hauling her off of her feet.

"Get back!" It was Shane's voice.

She was placed onto the ground beside Lori and Carl, who had hunkered down behind the cop for protection. Carl's frightened eyes scoured the campsite in horror, and Lori didn't look any better about the situation.

Virginia's eyes travelled back towards Andrea, still hunched over her sisters frame – completely oblivious as to the terror going on around them. Dale stood atop the RV, using his rifle with immense accuracy on any Walkers that he could – and guarding the grieving blonde below him.

Virginia clutched the crowbar tightly to her chest, her eyes wide with terror as people she had been camping with – but not necessarily known the names of – were bitten, and crumpled to the ground with a Walker on top of them, feasting.

And then everything fell silent.

The blonde closed her eyes, and soon found comfort in a strong, warm embrace. A pair of lips pressed themselves against her forehead as the male pulled backwards, and Virginia was vaguely aware of Eric's beautiful blue eyes meeting her own.

"Are you alright?" He asked, "Are you hurt?"

Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She gasped, and tears began to stream down her face. She still held onto the crowbar with a need so strong, that Eric couldn't take it from her.

"She alright?"

"She's in shock." Eric replied, his hand still attached to the crowbar in his fiance's clutches. "Gin? Come with me, you need to sit down."

"You came back." She didn't recognize her own voice.

"Of course I came back." Eric replied, "I needed to be here for you, for everyone…shit." The Marine had just noticed Andrea's form, resting over the limp one of her younger sister. "Shane!" One of Eric's arms left Virginia's shoulder as he stopped the cop from walking past, "Thank you for keeping her safe."

Shane didn't reply, but nodded and continued walking. And that was when a small, but loud voice spoke up – breaking through the silence and gaining everyone's attention.

"Now I understand why I did it," Jim stated. "This is why I dug those holes."

**A/N: S****o my horses are alright-ish now. Just getting used to their new situations and new care etc...which is why I haven't really been updating regularly as I am spending most of my time with them. I tell you, getting back on a horse that I haven't ridden in over a year (and who apparently enjoys being fat and lazy) has been a chore these past few weeks. Seriously, I had to buy a new girth to fit round his belly! He fits in hi old one now though, and he no longer bucks until I'm off which is a relief! My grandfather has started his chemotherapy, and my two grandmothers are slowly getting there too :) Just updating for you after my morning ride, and before lunch at the grandparents house!**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review :) xx**


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